Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KREMLIN STOPS GAS DELIVERIES TO UKRAINE
Authorized by President Vladimir Putin, Gazprom halted deliveries of Russian gas to Ukraine as of 10 am Moscow time on January 1. To maximize the political impact in Ukraine, Russia's state-controlled television channels showed Putin, his close aide and Gazprom chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and other... MORE
YUSHCHENKO CHALLENGES CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
On January 1, 2006, Ukraine began its transformation from a semi-presidential republic into a parliamentary democracy. The reform is in line with the constitutional amendments that the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) passed at the height of the Orange Revolution in late 2004. This was a compromise... MORE
ATASU-ALASHANKOU PIPELINE CEMENTS “STRATEGIC ALLIANCE” BETWEEN BEIJING AND ASTANA
At a solemn ceremony on December 15, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev pressed the button to officially begin pumping oil at the Atasu terminal along the new Atasu-Alashankou pipeline. The ceremony took place at the main control center of the Kazakh national oil transport company, KazTransOil.... MORE
KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT UNABLE TO REGULATE CROSSINGS ALONG BORDER WITH UZBEKISTAN
In the course of only a week in December several violent incidents took place between Kyrgyz and Uzbek civilians and border guards, and between Kyrgyz border guards and militia in the Fergana Valley region. While the Kyrgyz government has not made any public statement about... MORE
OWNERSHIP OF UKRAINE’S TRANSIT SYSTEM — MAIN STAKE IN THE GAS DISPUTE WITH RUSSIA
The barely hidden stake has now surfaced in full view in the Russia-Ukraine confrontation over gas prices and transit. The main stake is ownership of Ukraine's transit pipelines that carry Russian gas to Europe. Moscow appears willing to accommodate Kyiv on the gas price if... MORE
NEW INFORMATION EMERGES ON UZBEK ISLAMISTS, BUT IS IT ACCURATE?
The Russian newspaper Moskovsky novosti recently published an extensive interview with Shuhrat Masirokhunov, identified as the former chief of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's Counterintelligence Service. Masirokhunov was extradited from Pakistan to Uzbekistan a few months ago. His comments should provide considerable insight into the... MORE
UPPER HOUSE OF AFGHAN PARLIAMENT BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE
This week Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced his choices for 34 seats in the upper house of parliament (Mishrano Jirga), completing a process that began with the September 18 parliamentary elections. Afghanistan's new bicameral parliament is made up of a 249-seat lower house (Wolose Jirga)... MORE
RUSSIAN-KAZAKH PARTNERSHIP LEADS CENTRAL ASIAN INTEGRATION
The sudden thaw between Tashkent and Moscow after the Andijan bloodbath and the withdrawal of the U.S. air base from Uzbekistan left Astana guessing about the true intentions of the enigmatic Uzbek President Islam Karimov. But since the Russian-orchestrated integration of the Central Asian Cooperation... MORE
KREMLIN’S NEW “COALITION OF THE WILLING” AT UN
Uganda, Angola, Mali, Myanmar, and Venezuela have joined Armenia, France, and Spain in a Russian-led effort to deny the GUAM countries the right to bring their concerns before the United Nations General Assembly. On December 13, in the Assembly's agenda-setting General Committee, the aforementioned countries... MORE
NEW HOPE FOR SOUTH OSSETIA?
On December 12, Eduard Kokoiti, the self-styled president of South Ossetia, sent a letter to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders of OSCE countries to familiarize them with an action plan for settling the 15-year old conflict. Three successive stages call... MORE